Church Happenings ( )Camp meetings The Ministries Aflame Full Gospel Church, located at 323 E. Main St. in Lamar, will have special camp meetings from Monday to today. They will host singers LaVerne and Edith Tripp. For more information, call 479-214-0368. Falling Water Church revival The Falling Water Church will host a revival at 7 p.m. today and Saturday, Roy Chisum of Russellville and Donnie Chisum of Marshall will preach. The revival will start at 6 p.m. on S...

Teen Reach Adventure Camp banquet to be held June 10A fundraising banquet and silent auction to benefit Teen Reach Adventure Camps (T.R.A.C.) will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 10, at Central Presbyterian Church. The banquet will feature keynote speaker Janet Huckabee, former first lady of Arkansas. Proceeds will benefit T.R.A.C., which gives teens ages 12-15 in foster care a chance to attend faith-based camps designed to help them learn to trust in others again and believe they have worth and...

ATU Board of Trustees approves increases to budget and tuitionThe Arkansas Tech University Board of Trustees approved tuition and fee changes as part of a $161.1 million operating budget at ATU for the 2017-18 fiscal year during a meeting at the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center on Tuesday, May 30. Included in the budget is a 3.19 percent tuition increase for undergraduate students on the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville. Undergraduate tuition will increase from $219 per student semester...

by
BY SAM STRASNER
FOR THE COURIERThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Obituary: Doyle GilbertDARDANELLE — Doyle Steven Gilbert, age 72, of Conway died Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at home. He was born Feb. 16, 1945, at Conway, to the late Doyle and Nancy Sims Gilbert. He dedicated his life to his children, grandchildren and his great-grandbaby and was an employee of Smith Ford for over 40 years. Survivors include his four children, Darrin Gilbert and Scottie Gilbert of Conway, Tracy Gilbert-Faulkner (Dan), Brandi Embry (Markus) of Russell...

Obituary: Carolyn GipsonATKINS — Carolyn Gipson, 68, of Atkins went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 1, 2017, at Conway Regional Medical Center. She was born March 20, 1949, in Manila, daughter of the late James and Della Jones Parish. She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Rebecca Gipson; granddaughter, Jacquelyn Nicole Gipson; and a brother, Tommy Parish. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Jimmy Gipson; four sons, Jimmy Gipson Jr., M...

Pottsville council swaps propertyPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville City Council discussed a property trade, approved a bid for a tractor and accepted a resignation during the regular council meeting May 22. Mayor Jerry Williams explained the city has a piece of property that is 50’ x 50’ that houses a building with a small pump station where the old tank is. The city needs to move it closer to the road to avoid running additional pipes. For this to happen, James Blaylock has agreed...

Local kids food organization movesRiver Valley Food 4 Kids (RVF4K) has changed locations to a larger area that will allow them to store more food without “climbing over one another.” Before, the group operated out a 300 square-foot area within the Russellville School District (RSD) buildings. It is now located in a warehouse at 407 N. El Paso Ave. The search for the new location took about nearly a year to find the right location at the right cost. “We finally found this place...

County fills HR positionThe Pope County Quorum Court's Budget Committee learned during its regular meeting Tuesday that the human resources position has been filled. Treasurer Larry Holman said Terrie Duvall, who was payroll deputy and has worked for the county for 12-13 years, applied for the HR position and was hired. Elaine Thompson filled the payroll position. When asked by Justice of the Peace Caleb Moore why he didn't advertise outside the county and advertised...

Man arrested in connection to Waco, Joplin shootingsKevin M. Long, 22, was arrested last Friday for his alleged involvement in a pair of shootings that occurred in Russellville on May 12 and May 21. Sgt. David Bevis with the Russellville Police Department testified the first shooting occurred at 401 North Waco Avenue and the second at 204 North Joplin Avenue, and that the second shooting was in retaliation for the incident that led to the first. Bevis said Long told his version of the story dur...

by
BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Local physician honored for 50 years of service in health careRobert Bell MD, of Russellville, was recently inducted into the Arkansas Medical Society's Fifty Year Club, which is composed of physicians who have practiced medicine for more than fifty years, during the organization's annual meeting in Little Rock. The society would like to thank him for his many contributions to the medical field and his dedication to healthcare. The Arkansas Medical Society is a voluntary professional association, establi...

GOP health bill pleases base, not many othersThe health overhaul bill passed by the House earlier this month accomplishes one major feat: It is even less popular than the not-very-popular Affordable Care Act it would largely replace, a new poll finds. According to the monthly tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 49 percent of respondents said they have a favorable view of the ACA, while 31 percent said they favored the GOP's American Health Care Act, which narrowly passed the...

Petit Jean to host National Trails Day celebration SaturdayTrails are great places to experience nature. Petit Jean State Park, which has over 20 miles of trails, will be celebrating trails Saturday. This celebration will include guided hikes, a trails maintenance project, a friendly afternoon game of softball and an evening campfire get-together. The evening campfire outing will include a prize drawing with prizes from local and national sponsors. Get a ticket to win at any of the programs throughout...

Obituary: Wanda HastonWanda Pauline Haston, age 94, of Dardanelle, died Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at Dardanelle Nursing Center. She was born March 24, 1923, in Yell County to William Carl and Sarah Elizabeth Talley Mehle. She was a member of the Palmetto Church on Crow Mountain and loved gardening, sewing and quilting. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Ivory Haston; two sons, Reesal Haston and Joe Haston; a sister and two brothers. Survivors in...

Obituary: Jennings ShoptawJennings S. Shoptaw, age 91, of Dardanelle, died Friday, May 26, 2017, at Chambers Memorial Hospital. The memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, June 5, 2017, at the Shinn Chapel Burial will be private and under the direction of Shinn Funeral Service of Russellville. The family will receive friends following the memorial service in the chapel. The full obituary will run in a later edition of The Courier and online at www.shinnfuneral.com

Obituary: Geraldine CoffmanATKINS — Geraldene Coffman, 82, of Atkins, passed away Sunday, May 28, 2017, at her home. She was born March 16, 1935, in Bells Chapel, daughter of the late Albert Roy and Ima Mae Reed Duvall. She attended Pine Ridge Free Will Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, George Duvall and Emmett Duvall and a sister, Bobbie Gail Duvall. She is survived by a daughter, Billie Darlene Halsted; grandchildren, Scott Ryan a...

Obituary: Rita RobertsATKINS — Rita A. Roberts, 77, passed away Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at River Valley Medical Center in Dardanelle. She was born Sept. 13, 1939, in Buttermilk, daughter of Ralph E. and Reba Darter Duvall. She was a member of Evans Mountain Full Gospel Church. She was preceded in death by her father; and two children, Linda Duvall and James Glenn Roberts. She is survived by her husband, Junior Roberts; a son, Gerald (Donnie) Roberts; two daughters, ...

Weekend storm temporarily relocates clinicPottsville — According to city officials, Pottsville received the most damage from the storms that rolled through the county Saturday night. The Conway Regional Medical Clinic in Pottsville had to temporarily close and relocate to the Pottsville Middle School because of wind and water damage from the storm. “We have contacted patients who had appointments this week to let them know the situation,” Billy Henry, director of the Conway Regional P...